Holly's Investigation
by NatteryakToad
Summary: "Holly Richman was in charge again, at the slightly sombre O'Malley family gathering... Today Holly had a mission. She wanted to understand Aunt Jennifer better". On the 10th Anniversary of Jennifer's death, Dave and Kate's eight-year-old daughter Holly and her cousin Renee start to collect information about the Aunt they never knew. One shot.


Holly Richman was in charge again, at the slightly somber O'Malley family gathering. At eight-and-a-half years old, it was something she had long since accepted; she was the oldest, so she watched over the other kids. Particularly today, when the grownups were preoccupied, as they always were at the yearly gathering in June to remember Aunt Jennifer, the smiling photo of a woman none of the second generation of O'Malleys had ever met.

On days like this, Holly's six-year-old cousin, Renée, was her right hand woman. The second generation of O'Malleys were all very close in age – Holly was less than five years older than the twins, Grace and Olivia – but they often fell into natural groupings, and Holly and Renée, who'd always been old for her age, were one.

Today, Holly had a mission. She wanted to understand Aunt Jennifer better.

"Renée, go get that picture of Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Tom's wedding," she said, and Renée ran off. It worked both ways, Holly thought – she kept Renée company if she got lonely at family gatherings, and in turn Renée ran and fetched things for her.

When Renée came back with the picture, Holly took a notebook from her pocket, and went to start her investigation, Renée following with the picture.

"Gracie, what do you know about Aunt Jennifer?" Holly asked, as she and Renée walked over to where the almost four-year-old twins were playing.

"Pretty lady," Grace commented, looking at the picture Renée held.

"Livvy?" Holly asked Grace's twin.

"In the sky," Olivia said. "Aunt Jennifer's in the sky."

'Pretty,' Holly wrote down in her notebook. 'In the sky.'

"C'mon Renée; let's go find Eddie and Kim."

Eddie and Kim were both four-year-olds, and they were in Holly's playroom, building with Lego. Eddie was a small, dark boy, the image of his fireman father. Kim was a tomboy, and technically not an O'Malley, but since she was Holly's cousin on her father's side, Holly reckoned she counted.

"Eddie, Kim, what can you tell me about Aunt Jennifer?" Holly asked.

"She's not even my aunt," Kim said. "That's the brick I've been looking for Eddie; it needs to go here."

'Not Kim's aunt,' Holly wrote.

"But," Kim continued. "Mom says she was a lovely lady."

'A lovely lady,' Holly wrote. "Eddie?"

"She was the baby in the family," Eddie said thoughtfully. "Like me."

"You're not the baby of the O'Malleys," Kim protested. "Only just your little family."

'Family baby,' Holly wrote. "Okay, Renée, who's next?"

"The not-twins," Renée grinned. Holly's own younger sister Jenny and Eddie's brother Charlie were only a week apart in age, and consequently had earned the name 'the not-twins' in the family.

"No, you're younger than 'em," Holly said. "Renée, what can you tell me about Aunt Jennifer?"

Renée sucked the ends of her hair thoughtfully. "She led all the O'Malley's to Jesus," she said eventually.

Holly recognized the phrase as something the adults said sometimes, and wrote it down, word for word. "Okay. Let's go find Jenny and Charlie."

They eventually located the not-twins up in Jenny's bedroom, playing pretend.

"Jenny, Charlie, what can you tell me about Aunt Jennifer?"

"I've got her name," Jenny said.

'Jenny has her name,' Holly wrote.

"She was a doctor, like I'm a doctor now," Charlie said. "A doctor makes poorly people better."

'A doctor – she made people better,' Holly wrote. "Thanks, guys."

"What are you doing?" Jenny asked, but Holly was already out of the door.

"C'mon, 'née, let's go find the boys," she said.

'The boys' – Eli, Will and Lucas – were all in the games room, playing pool with Uncle Jack and Uncle Stephen – the dynamic duo.

"What can you guys tell me about Aunt Jennifer?" Holly asked, raising her voice to be heard over the noise of the game.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Uncle Jack asked.

"Anything," Holly shrugged. "I'm just collecting things people say about her."

"I'm helping," Renée protested.

"Yeah, 'née's carrying the picture," Holly conceded.

"Jen was a really great doctor, but she was an even better sister," Uncle Stephen said. "She was the heart and soul of the O'Malley family – the glue that held us together."

Holly wrote that down.

"You kids would've loved Jennifer," Uncle Jack said. "She loved kids – I bet she would've been everyone's favorite aunt."

Holly wasn't quite sure how to phrase that one. Eventually, she wrote, 'Would have been everyone's favorite aunt'. "Boys?" she asked.

"I dunno," Will shrugged. "My dad always called her 'precious'," he offered.

'Uncle Marcus' precious,' Holly wrote. "Eli?"

Eli shrugged. "My dad called her ma'am, but then he calls everyone ma'am, so..."

"So that's no good," Holly said decisively. "Try again."

Eli thought for a minute. "Mom says... she was confident in what she believed in. She wanted people to agree with her, but she wasn't going to change what she thought if they didn't."

Holly wrote that down too. "Lucas?"

"Aunt Jennifer saved people's lives," Lucas said. "She's a hero – like all the O'Malleys."

'Saved people's lives,' Holly wrote. 'A hero like all the O'Malleys.'

"Who do we ask next?" Renée asked as the two of them left the room.

"Well, we've got all the kids," Holly said. "So I guess whatever grown-ups we find."

In the living room, Holly found Kim's parents, Adam and Sara; Renée's parents, Marcus and Shari; Charlie and Eddie's parents, Rachel and Cole, and Aunt Cassie and Aunt Meghan.

"Hi girls, what are you up to?" Uncle Marcus asked, as Holly entered the room with her notebook, followed by Renée and the photograph.

"We're collecting things people say about Aunt Jennifer," Holly told the room at large.

"What makes you want to do that?" Uncle Marcus asked.

Holly shrugged. "Us kids have never met Aunt Jennifer, and... I guess I wanted some way we could find out about her."

Uncle Marcus blinked, as if blinded by a light. Then he said, "Jen always wanted to be a doctor, for as long as I knew her. Ever since she lost her parents in a car crash when she was seven, she's wanted to help people."

Holly wrote that down. She had just about finished writing when Aunt Shari spoke.

"You could always count on Jen," she said. "I knew her for such a short time, but I quickly learnt that if you wanted someone to fight your corner, she was your woman."

Uncle Marcus nodded in agreement. "She wasn't forceful – not like your mom, Holly. But she had this quiet influence."

"What's that word that means you can count on someone?" Holly asked, her pencil poised over her notebook. "De..."

"Dependable," Aunt Sara supplied. "Jennifer was dependable – I'll vouch for that."

Holly started scribbling furiously, as Aunt Sara spoke. 'Dependable. Always fighting your corner. A quiet influence.'

"Like Shari, I didn't know Jen very long," Aunt Sara continued, "but for the time I did know her, she was a great friend."

'A great friend,' Holly wrote.

"She was your best friend," Aunt Rachel said. "She completed the O'Malleys – we didn't know how much we needed her until we found her."

Holly wrote that down too.

"And she was always thinking about other people – even when she was really sick," Uncle Cole said. "She still wanted to do her job as a doctor, even if it made her sicker."

Holly's pencil flew across the paper, trying to keep up as the people around her all spoke at once.

"I'd agree with that," Aunt Meghan said. "Even when she was dying, she had to make sure Stephen was going to be okay, since he was the only O'Malley left to believe."

Holly pondered over what everyone had said, particularly Aunt Meghan, as she and Renée headed to the kitchen, where she could hear the voices of her parents and Aunt Lisa and Uncle Quinn. It sounded like Aunt Jennifer was a real hero.

"What are you up to, Holly-Bean?" Holly's dad asked as she entered the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Renée; didn't see you there."

"Hmm..." was all that Renée said.

"We're collecting things people say about Aunt Jennifer, so us kids can find out about her," Holly explained. "What can you tell me, Dad?"

"Jen was..." her dad paused, as if searching for words. "She was everyone's favorite. You couldn't meet her and not like her."

'Everyone's favorite,' Holly wrote. "Mom?"

But Aunt Lisa jumped in first. "Jennifer was the perfect person to sit with in the middle of the night when things weren't going your way," she said. "She didn't try to rationalize things or fix things, she'd just sit with you."

Holly wrote that down.

"Jen was a very special lady," Uncle Quinn agreed. "She touched the hearts and lives of every person that she met."

Holly liked that, so she wrote it down word for word, like she had with Renée's statement. "Mom?"

Holly's Mom was perched on the edge of the kitchen table, swinging her legs as she thought. "Jennifer was my room-mate as a kid," she said eventually. "We looked out for each other, and shared everything. She'd just lost her parents, and she was a lot younger than me, but she still looked after me when I had nightmares. She had a wicked sense of humor, and could always cheer you up if you'd had a bad day. Marcus is the one I call if I want someone to share my anger or help me figure something out; Jen was the one I called if I wanted someone to make me laugh. She was the last piece of the O'Malley puzzle and... we're incomplete without her."

Holly chewed the end of her pencil as she figured out how to write all that.

'Mom's roommate – they shared everything,' she wrote eventually. 'Looked after her when she had nightmares. Wicked sense of humor and always made you laugh and cheered you up. She was the last piece of the O'Malley puzzle – it's incomplete without her.'

Holly flipped her notebook closed.

"Bean, can you round up everyone and tell them dinner's ready?" Holly's dad asked her.

"Née, can you do that?" Holly asked. "I need to talk to Uncle Tom."

"Okay," Renée nodded, and Holly took Aunt Jennifer's picture from her.

"He was setting the table," Holly's mom told her.

Holly and Renée left the kitchen together, but as Renée headed further down the hallway to round up the family, Holly went into the formal dining room, which was only used on special occasions, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and O'Malley family dinners – when it was just Holly, Jenny and their parents, they usually ate at the kitchen table.

Uncle Tom had finished setting the table, and was sat on the sofa by the fireplace. He looked up as Holly came in.

"Hey, Holls," he said.

Holly knew it was wrong for grown-ups to have a favorite kid, but she wasn't sure if kids were allowed to have a favorite grown-up. If she was allowed, then Uncle Tom was definitely Holly's favorite uncle. He always seemed lonely amongst all the couples, and he was always really interesting to talk to.

Holly crossed the room, walking the length of the table – built to seat twenty but with five extra places shoehorned in – and sat down beside Uncle Tom, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"What've you got there?" Uncle Tom asked.

Holly handed him the photograph. Uncle Tom took it, rubbing a thumb across the image of Aunt Jennifer.

"She's beautiful," he breathed. "You kids would've loved her, Holly. She would've loved you all." He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Have I made you sad?" Holly asked, after a full minute passed in silence.

Uncle Tom's eyes snapped open. "No, Ivy baby," he said.

Holly giggled – Uncle Tom sometimes called her Ivy instead of Holly, because of the Christmas carol.

"Uncle Tom, I've been collecting things people say about Aunt Jennifer," Holly said shyly, offering him the notebook. She watched as the read the five pages filled with her sprawling handwriting.

"That's beautiful, Holl," Uncle Tom said when he'd finished reading, and Holly noticed him blinking back tears. "Thank you."

"I didn't mean to make you cry…" Holly said apologetically.

"That's alright," Uncle Tom said, wiping his eyes. "Did you know I carry her with me everywhere?" he asked, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and showing Holly and old, faded photo which he kept in there. "I took this on our first date."

"I wish I couldda met her…" Holly said wistfully.

"Me too, Holl, me too," Uncle Tom sighed, kissing her forehead. "Can I keep this?" he asked, closing Holly's notebook.

Holly considered momentarily. "Can I email you a copy?" she asked. "I just… I want one too, so I can learn about Aunt Jennifer."

"Okay, you do that," Uncle Tom nodded. "Thank you, Holly – this means a lot to me." He squeezed her tight in a one-armed hug.

The rest of the O'Malleys spilled into the room at that point, taking over with the general craziness which naturally occurred when all twenty-five of them were in the same place, but Holly was glad to have had that quiet time with her Uncle Tom, remembering Aunt Jennifer, whom she'd never met.


End file.
